World Destruction (1)
A tiny glass vial trapping some kind of energy—I stared at it intently, lost in thought. 'This shit's getting me nowhere.'
It had been a whole week since I'd stolen something from Baeldis and bolted. My research hadn't budged an inch. No doubt about it, this was from Baeldis. The problem was figuring out what the hell it was.
Just demonic energy? Yeah, it was demonic energy, sure. But there was something different about it. Like the gap between plain water and carbonated water.
"Ha, what the fuck is it?"
I knew my brain wasn't the sharpest. If it had been, I'd have cut a deal with the hero and lived comfortably. Would I have hidden in the Demon Realm for centuries? Still, I had some confidence in this field, so hitting a wall here was a real ego killer.
'I'm a destruction specialist, that's all.'
If I'd known it'd come to this, I should've developed some convenience spells too.
"Seol-ah! Wanna hit the convenience store?"
Just as I was stewing in my chair, Yoo Hwa burst in with a beaming smile.
"Convenience store? Out of nowhere?"
"Well, my favorite anime's doing a collab with convenience store snacks!"
Over the past week, Yoo Hwa had gotten hooked on TV, naturally diving into anime too. Collecting merch in a flash—she'd turned into a proper otaku.
"Yeah, let's go."
No point brooding forever; it wasn't yielding answers anyway. Time to grab some snacks and cool my head.
I got up from the chair and followed her out.
"Welcome..."
"The Association—these fuckers slacking off or what?"
I muttered under my breath, eyes rolling at the part-timer behind the counter. Ruining my mood right off the bat. Better handle this before Yoo Hwa finished picking snacks and came to check out.
"Possessed by a monster? Or just a monster in human skin?"
If it was straight-up a monster, I'd pop it. But if a human was possessed, killing it would be murder.
I channeled demonic energy into my index finger and jabbed the part-timer's forehead.
"Kieeeek!"
A inhuman shriek erupted from their mouth.
"Uh, huh? Customer?"
Their eyes cleared up. Possessed, then. Dodged a bullet there—would've been fucked if I'd blown them up.
"Why'd you poke my forehead with your finger..."
"Oh, you looked like you passed out, so I checked."
I pulled my finger back and stepped away.
"All picked!"
Yoo Hwa came running with her basket piled high with snacks like a maniac.
"Checkout."
I pulled a card from my pocket and handed it over.
"Uh... yep."
The still-dazed part-timer rang us up awkwardly, sneaking glances at me and blushing. Weird.
'Monster's gone, though?'
No trace of demonic energy—they weren't possessed anymore. Just shy, maybe?
"All done..."
"Thanks."
Bags stuffed to the brim, Yoo Hwa and I left the store. First monster in a week since holing up—kinda nostalgic.
"What the actual fuck happened?"
That nostalgia lasted less than a minute before shattering.
A corpse with a cracked skull was shambling from the alley right next to the store.
"First time for this kinda shit."
I shaped my finger into a gun, fired, and erased it.
"Yoo Hwa, let's head home quick."
"Hm? Yeah, okay."
Yoo Hwa, who'd watched blankly, followed behind me.
Something felt off. Another Underground Kingdom Great Enemy spawn? Or my 'monster-magnet constitution' kicking in again?
I scratched my head and headed home.
"Monster Dissection Analysis Team on strike or something?"
Munching snacks while scrolling the net, I scowled. Every post reeked of thick monster vibes. The posters wouldn't last long.
Wasn't stopping that spread and info leaks the Association's job?
Too early to see? Nah, all over a day old. I'd seen them manage real-time posts flawlessly. Stuff that should've been nuked in minutes lingering a day?
Folks weren't buying it yet, but give it time...
'What the hell are they doing?'
I shook my head at the Association's inscrutable moves. Back when I barely knew them, I'd shrug it off. But now? I knew them inside out.
They weren't this sloppy—not even with basic info control.
'Maybe go check in person.'
This apartment housed tons of Association brass. Their silence suggested no internal chaos. But my gut screamed otherwise. Things felt off-kilter.
'Should've stuck to research.'
I sighed and glanced at the ceiling. Stepped out, and boom—new problem.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
Someone hit my doorbell.
"Yoo Hwa, you get it."
"Okaay~."
She grumbled from the TV and dashed to the door.
'Who the hell at this hour?'
Not a monster—the defenses were airtight; low-grades couldn't even approach. Probably a guest; have Yoo Hwa bring 'em in.
"Kyaaak!"
Yoo Hwa's scream hit.
"What happened?!"
Startled, I peeked toward the entrance.
"...Heuk Seol-ah? This your place?"
A blood-soaked black-haired guy in a suit stood there.
"It's a commission."
"Bring him in quick!"
Worried about eyes, I had Yoo Hwa usher him inside.
Staggering, he made it to the table and sat.
"First, apologies for the late unannounced visit."
He bowed deeply, face grave.
"...It's fine. So, what's the commission?"
Atmosphere was heavy—major emergency, no doubt.
"I'm Jin Woo-jin, team leader of Elite Agent Team 10."
Thud. He set his bag on the table and opened it. Inside: a bankbook.
"Advance payment: 100 billion. Legal funds from the Association—not dirty money."
I took the bankbook and checked. Deposits under countless names. Total: 100 billion.
"The commission, Heuk Seol-ah."
Jin Woo-jin wiped blood from his face.
"Manage all of Seoul for one week. Another 100 billion at the end."
"...What?"
I frowned at him.
"Hunt the monsters popping up across Seoul. Don't need to get 'em all—just patrol and erase what you see."
"No distinction between good and evil?"
"Wipe out any visible monsters for now."
He panted, struggling to speak.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing much... just handled too many monsters."
Nothing much, my ass.
"What's going on at the Association right now?"
Even I could tell shit was sideways. Info uncontrolled, monsters everywhere. And this random 100 billion dump. Not suspecting would be weirder.
"...The internal project is top-secret. If you join an elite team formally, maybe. But not now."
He hung his head.
"We need your help, though. Please."
"That urgent? Risking the leak by coming to me?"
"..."
He clammed up. Hiding info or not, commissioning me meant potential leaks. They rated my power high—past a certain line, for sure.
Linking with them meant I'd sniff out secrets. Yet they still came. Situation must be that dire—a massive gamble.
"Please, Heuk Seol-ah. Help us."
No excuses—just another deep bow. Admitting my point, partially.
"Sigh... fine."
I took the job with a sigh. Letting it slide felt wrong anyway.
"Patrol Seoul for a week, hunt monsters?"
"Yes."
"Good. Starting now."
"Huh?"
I approached him.
"Get up. Let's start with the monsters you were fighting."